LoveToKnow Dogs:AllComments

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Hi JoJo,

Thanks for sharing what worked for your dog. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi Amy, i have a westie 8 months old he had a food allergy, scratching, nibbling, loads of red skin like you i started to feed home cooked food but with bioled rice, and used fish in the form of tinned tuna,pilchards,sardines,mackerel,etc. I also added a small amount of olive oil daily to his feed. This seems to have solved his problem. At the moment he seems to be a very happy chap without any signs of a skin allergy.

-- Contributed by: jojo

Hi Amy,

Has your dog been checked for mites? The blackened skin sounds more like mites than a food allergy. I definitely think this is something your vet should investigate. All it takes is a skin scraping from the affected area to get a diagnosis. If this is an allergy, your vet will want to test if one of the foods you feed your dog is causing the reaction. Either way, consulting with your vet is the best thing you can do.

Thanks for visiting, and best wishes for your dog's health.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi Collen,

I have a book I'd like to recommend to you that I think would be very helpful in maintaining a healthy, rounded diet for your dog. You can probably find it on Amazon.com. It's called The Natural Pet Food Cookbook by Wendy Nan Reese. It was co-written with a vet, and provides a variety of nutritionally balanced recipes. There is also great info on nutrition as well as how much you should feed your dog. I have a copy myself. It is easy to read, and the recipes are simple to prepare. You can even make most ahead of time and store them as individual servings in your freezer. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for visiting the site. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My westie is abt 5 yrs old. I cook for her everyday. I have been giving her pork, lots of veg & tomato everyday. She has skin allergy and these days it's getting from bad to worse. Her skin will turn red, she scratch alot & has been shedding hair alot. Recently her skin between the 2 front legs & her body turned black & skin became coarse. I can see that she's feeling miserable. Can you pls give me some advice on how to improve her skin condition. Thks

-- Contributed by: Amy

I have been cooking for my 2 Westies since the food scare. They like it sooo much I continued, but I'm worried I should be adding vitamins. I make 50% rice (1/2 brown 1/2 white) 25% ground meat (I switch from chicken to beef) 25% vegatables (usually mixed like in soup). Is this sufficient or should I be adding other vitamins?

-- Contributed by: Colleen

Hi Lynette,

Limiting your dog's territory at night would be a good idea. I'd actually suggest crating him overnight so he can't roam and mark. You'll need to train him to get used to it for short periods during the day so he will learn to accept crating at night without barking and causing a fuss.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi there ! We have a westie who has just turned 4 years old. Since he turned 2 he started doing the toilet during the night down in our livingroom and hall. he doesn't do it up-stairs or in the kitchen. It doesn't happen every night but when he does it's all over.We are pretty sure he is marking but we are not keen to get him neutered because he has a lovely nature just now. Any hints or tips of how we could manage this problem. thanks for your help.

-- Contributed by: Lynnette Hoey

Hi Robert,

First of all, I love the name Talc for a white dog. Very clever!

Now for your questions.

I don't think there's any problem involved with the leg lifting. Basically, I think your dog is just running low on ammunation after the first few initial waterings. He may be able to eek out a little more here and there, but if he has good flow at the beginning, I wouldn't worry about it. He's just following that classic Terrier instinct to want to claim as much territory as possible.
As for the second question, you need to find a good distraction for Talc when you are otherwise occupied. If he has his own crate, confine him there with an especially tasty treat he finds difficult to resist. You might also try giving him an interactive dog toy to hold his interest for a while. Do this first, and retire to your room one by one so Talc isn't completely alerted to your leaving. I think you'll have more peace this way.

Thanks for your questions, and I hope you're enjoying the site. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

hi, me and my partner have a 9 year old westie called talc. he really cute and adorable and very spoilt. we have couple of questions. 1, when we take him out for a walk he has to ... his leg up at every lamppost,corner, gate, wall basically everything, he doesnt always urinate just ...s his leg.is there something wrong? 2, when were in the bedroom bein intermate, he stares and barks even if we lock him outside the door he gets more irritated and barks and scratches the door. what can we do?

many thanks, Rob

-- Contributed by: robert kingswood

Hi Kathie,

I think the yogurt could be beneficial. Food allergies are always a gamble because it takes time for the immune system to mount a full blown reaction. You can feed a food for weeks/months before the allergy manifests itself in outward symptoms. That said, go ahead a give your dog a little plain yogurt when you feel like it. You can always stop if she develops a reaction.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi there!!!

I took my sweet little 5 month old Westie *Mollie* to the vet on Saturday for an upset tummy, that consisted of some minor bloating and gas. After taking an x-ray to make sure there was no intestinal blockage, (which there wasn't...thank God) the vet gave her a shot to settle her tummy and sent me home with an antibiotic in the event there was some bad bacteria in her intestines, as well as instructions to fast her until the next morning, and then give her some cooked rice mixed with organic fat-free sugar-free plain yogurt,I did this and she absolutely LOVED it!!! For her next meal I put her back on her regular dog food (Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Potato and Duck),and since I still had some of the yogurt, I mixed it in with her dry food which again she LOVED!!! Her tummy is back to normal, but what I want to know, is if it is O.K. to continue to mix the yogurt into her food on a regular basis??? She loved it so much, I wouldn't mind giving it to her, but given Westies' predisposition for food allergies, I am concerned if this would be harmful,or helpful???

Thank you so much for your time.

Kathie

-- Contributed by: Kathie

may westie is at the moment at my vet she has addison and now she has liver disease. that has just come on she is very very ill im not sure if it is fair on her to keep her on all the treament .she is only two year old.any advice please.

Hi Rita,

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. You don't typically expect this in a dog so young.

The decision whether it is kinder to euthanize a dog is always a difficult one. My best advice is to discuss the situation with your vet and find out what kind of chance he/she feels your dog has to have a meaningful life from this point forward. I'm sure this will help you decide what is best for your pet. Please take comfort in the fact that you have been caring for this dog and providing her with very good veterinary care. You are doing all that you can, but there does come a point when it may be the right time to end the struggle.

Thank you for your question, and I'll keep you and your dog in my thoughts.

-- Contributed by: rita ballantyne

My sister has a westie i would say she is around 11 - 12 years old over the last few years she has developed a skin condition which has caused her fur to fall off and his skin to become black. she has very little fur left now but is still happy and playful, we are not sure what to do for her now, have you any advice on this.

Hi Linda,

My best advice would be to have the vet take a look at your sister's dog. There are many things that can cause hair loss. Has this dog ever displayed signs of itching? Blackened skin is sometimes mange related.

It sounds as though the hair loss hasn't caused the dog too much discomfort, but I would take care to make sure he is warm enough during cold weather and sheltered from direct sun once spring arrives. Hopefully the vet can diagnose the cause and offer a treatment that will restore this dog's coat.

Thanks for your question.

Thank you Linda

-- Contributed by: Linda Wosser

I have a Westie who has developed a very bad skin condition. His paws are red up to what I would call the elbow and knee. His groin area is dark red and dry with moist spots and his left ear is hurting him. Is this a normal skin problem? I do not have money for a vet right now since my husband lost his job...is there anything I can do at home.

Sheryl Rade Max the Westie

Hi Sheryl,

Seeing a vet is truly your best option. That said, it sounds as though your dog might have a bad food allergy. I would recommend that you put him on Science Diet Hypo-allergenic formula and see if this doesn't help clear the infection after a month or two. Hopefully by that time your husband will have found another job and you'll be able to follow up with your vet.

Best wishes.

-- Contributed by: Sheryl Rade (Max)
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